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FrozenGate by Avery

Reliable source for 532nm modules?

maxitoman007 said:
Well today I received my 4 Fasttech modules and begun testing them and modifying them to the proper .43 ma that Pman suggested for maximum output, long story short, now none of them are lazing and they are all showing a current draw of around 0.02 or 0.03 ma. They were all working st the start and I had them all properly set and going at 0.43 ma, but now they have all seemed to spontaneously stop working with this very low current draw. Adjusting the pot also doesn't change the current draw if that helps diagnose the problem, any help is appreciated.
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0.43mA, do you mean 0.43A? 0.43mA wouldn't make them work...

Anyway, what procedure did you use to adjust/measure?

Sounds like you've probably killed the diodes... If not, then the drivers, which would be less likely.
 





I adjusted them using the pot, and yes I meant 0.43A. I was using a metal screw driver but I never had power while adjusting. I had the negative side of my 18650 battery hooked up to my DMM and then the other lead running to the negative wire of the module. I then hooked up the positive end of the battery to the module. I would adjust the pot, then press the button and check the current draw. I did this until it reached 0.43 then I stopped, the lasers were all still working, then after connecting them to power a few more times just to see, the current draw dropped to the 0.03 I was talking about and they completely stopped working.
 
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maxitoman007 said:
I adjusted them using the pot, and yes I meant 0.43A. I was using a metal screw driver but I never had power while adjusting
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So you adjusted them with the power turned off, then powered up?

Where were you measuring the current?
 
Well it appears you were correct, I swapped driver boards to one that knew was working and I still got the 0.03 current draw. Looks like I've managed to burn out not one but four Fasttech modules in the span of a day. Guess I just have to hope I got enough practice for when my atplightingworld module arrives.
 
It is beyond unusual that all four would quite working at the same time. Are you using the same battery to test each one? It seems more likely that your source is at fault, but it is difficult to troubleshoot over the net. Have you checked the source/battery while it is on? Do you have another battery to try them with? Very strange, indeed. If you have a +5 volt source you can use that should work.
 
maxitoman007 said:
Well it appears you were correct, I swapped driver boards to one that knew was working and I still got the 0.03 current draw. Looks like I've managed to burn out not one but four Fasttech modules in the span of a day. Guess I just have to hope I got enough practice for when my atplightingworld module arrives.
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Unless you know what current the pump diode is supposed to be running at, and measure that at the output of the driver, you're taking a risk turning the current up. Not to mention you can cause damage to the crystals after the pump diode, even if you don't kill the diode.
 
The 200mw 532's I bought from LaserLands seem to hold up but they are not the cheapest, I would like to find some like that Jet unit we saw posted about recently, or the separate crystal type, but I have not seen those in a while.
 
diachi said:
Unless you know what current the pump diode is supposed to be running at, and measure that at the output of the driver, you're taking a risk turning the current up. Not to mention you can cause damage to the crystals after the pump diode, even if you don't kill the diode.
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Looks like luck just wasn't on my side, oh well.
 
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Have you ruled out the supply to the modules? I still think that having all four fail simultaneously is very unusual and may indicate something else common to all four.
 
paul1598419 said:
Have you ruled out the supply to the modules? I still think that having all four fail simultaneously is very unusual and may indicate something else common to all four.
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Good point, forgetting OP is using batteries to power these ... checked your battery voltage?
 
Yep, I just tested all four modules with a different battery that was reading 4.25V, still no dice. All still show 0.03A. It also wasn't completely simultaneous, but I'd say within 5 minutes of each other
 
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